COUNTYWIDE : Sunshine ‘a Fluke,’ but Clouds to Return

Winning a brief respite from cloudy skies, Orange County basked in sunshine Monday, with more expected to come today.

Mild offshore winds recently have kept the marine layer away from coastal cities, meteorologists said, clearing the way for sunny skies and warm temperatures.

But don’t put away your sweater or overcoat just yet. Starting on Wednesday and continuing through the weekend, the coastal areas and the inland valleys will be “socked in” for most of the day with clouds, warned Rick Dittmann, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which furnishes forecasts for The Times.

The sunshine this week has actually been “sort of a fluke,” explained Betty Reo, a weather specialist for the National Weather Service.

The typical pattern for Orange County in June is overcast skies in the morning and clearing by afternoon, she said.

But on Monday, a ridge of high pressure kept clouds from moving onto the coast.

Now, however, a satellite picture shows the band of high pressure that cleared the morning clouds weakening, Reo said.

By Wednesday, she predicted, “we’ll be back to the old regime--night and morning low clouds” and cooler days, with highs in the low 70s.